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 Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:21 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 6:46 pm
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2016 1:15 pm
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Celegras had no such medicinal knowledge of plants, but listened intently to the mare's explanation of their objective. He nodded thoughtfully, thinking of the times he or members of his patrol had come back from missions in need of such medical care as the herd could offer. This flower could be of no small benefit to the herd and he was glad to help on this mission.
"How do you know about this flower? I've never heard of it." That wasn't saying much of course. He hadn't heard of most of the flowers and plants used in healing. That wasn't his particular area of study.
They let the silence hang between them for a while, walking along companionably before Flidais suggested the two converse more. He supposed no harm could come from getting to know the mare and gave some thought to what he could say to her. His past was mired by pain and the death of their race. Well, near-death. The two of them stood as testament to the resiliency of the cerynei race, after all. The fact there was a herd dedicated to them was a comfort to the stallion. He knew this mare wasn't part of the bloody past, and wondered how much he should reveal to her. If he could, he would spare her the pain that he carried with him.
"I've been with the herd since nearly it's inception," he settled on saying. No need to delve further back into his past than that. "I met Calixte before the herd was founded. I left on my own for a while and when I met back up with her the herd was created and she'd had some foals." He frowned, suddenly feeling old. Calixte had had two sets of foals by now, and he remained childless. Was he losing time to become a father? He pushed the thought aside. "How did you come to find us and decide to stay?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2016 2:18 pm
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"I have learned many things over my time before joining the herd. Survival and medicinal care was always of utmost importance to me." The mare said nothing more regarding the topic, finding the discussion of her past a trying topic. She was glad to have moved on her former home and while she usually had no issues telling stories and life-lessons, it was still a somewhat sore subject for her still, as only a few years had passed since her departure and the beginning of her new life.
Though she had joined the herd and had found herself a fitting role as Storyteller, Flidais was still drawn to her hobbies and often aided the healers and nursemaids when the help was needed. Journeying for ingredients was not unheard of for her and she had gone unaccompanied many a time, but this excursion was different. Celegras had joined her, though she hadn't entirely understood why, and rather than act as a child, she had simply nodded at the information and new party member. Her time with her new herd was still green like the freshly sprouted buds that lined the gray branches of trees recovering from the winter thaw and waking up from their seasonal sleep. It made sense to her that the herd would wish to protect those not fit for fighting, and she was of course included in those numbers, and it seemed like the spirits were providing her a chance to befriend her new family. It seemed foolish to waste such a chance.
After the silence had passed, Flidais looked to her elder and listened quietly as he spoke. He too had little to offer of his past it seemed, but she could understand the wish to say few words. The history of her kind was not a pleasant one and those who had lived through it certainly had their share of memories they wished to keep at bay. Her eyes trained back to the path ahead of them, soft green orbs defying the hardness of the gem they resembled. Questions that invoked a story, one that was personal and mostly offered little to teach the stallion who had many more years than she did. What was there to say? What had drawn her to this herd of Cerynei over a different one?
The scarlet Cerynei lifted her head, mane drifting in the slight breeze, and she pondered the question. Surely she had been guided to this point by the nature spirits that she revered so highly, but that was not explanation enough. Yes, how had she gotten here? When had her path strayed from the woods she had grown to call home? With a serene look, she offered her answer. "I suppose I can say that the nature spirits led me here. I had a family before the herd, but I had to leave them due to circumstances that had arisen. My old herd had changed dramatically and I found it be for the worst rather than the better. This one seems... far more suited to me and my beliefs."
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2016 3:43 pm
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He gave the mare a sideways glance, his face veiled. He had witnessed the fall of his family prior to leaving the old Cerynei lands. He couldn't imagine leaving his family for any other reason, but kept his judgement to himself. He had to remind himself that not everyone had the idyllic life that he had enjoyed once upon a time, and that perhaps she had very serious reasons to turn her back on her family. Still, he couldn't help but question her further.
"What are your beliefs, exactly?" She had mentioned the Nature Spirits, but what did that entail for the mare? What ideals did the herd hold that she found sacred? The herd was diverse, and the mare was young and idealistic. Still, she seemed sincere and he was willing to give her a chance. Perhaps she was as spiritual as she pretended, as kind and generous as she seemed. Perhaps he was a suspicious old stallion that needed to trust others more. Hadn't Tethys taught him to open up again? Perhaps learning was a process more than a singular event.
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Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2016 9:43 pm
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"Hm?" She couldn't help but tilt her head at his inquiries, her expression containing a pure curiosity to it as she rolled the stallion's question over in her mind. Flidais had encountered many a Soquili curious about her beliefs and after so many questions and explanations she would have thought answering such a simple, yet such a complex question would have become easier by now. With a gentle huff of air, the crimson mare pondered and pondered, trying to come up with the best way to curtail her answer to her elder.
"The best way to put it, I suppose, is that I believe there are guiding spirits in the world around us. Nature is a fickle and mysterious force, does it not make sense for there to be spirits at work in every living thing?" Her steps continued as the journeyed on, her gaze never breaking from the path ahead as she gave her answer. "I came from a herd that had lost it's sense of justice and respect for all members, instead those that had power and lofty titles looked down on the common and any and all decisions were geared towards keeping the highly ranked well off and those that were not were to stay where they belonged." The mares mouth twisted as if she had bit into the flesh of lemon, her brows furrowing as the frustration she had thought had long since been buried surface over the memories.
"I decided I would not subject myself to their corrupted ideals and I left to find myself. Along my journey and spent quite some time in the forests and woods of our great and vast land, gaining a new sense of respect for nature and it's neutrality. Nature has no sense of good and evil, it is impartial to any one individuals plight or sorrow, but it is always some gentle. Harsh winters bring gentle springs."
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:58 am
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He listened intently to the mare, allowing her to get through her entire explination before replying. Her words recalled to his mind memories of his family and how easily and seemingly cruelly they were taken from him. Nature had done that, and the cerynei certainly had done nothing to deserve it. He furrowed his brow and shook his head slightly to clear it of the unwelcome and painful memories. "If there are nature spirits they are cruel in their indifference," he muttered before falling silent once more. They walked for a time that way, the stallion letting the silence hang heavily between them. He was a private stallion, not one for sharing too many intimate details of his life. Tethys had broken him of the habit to an extent, but still he found it difficult.
He decided he didn't want to seem like a brooding, dark figure to the younger mare however so instead he changed the subject. "The recent snow melts have overfilled the river, look" he said, motioning to their right where some distance off the aformentioned river bubbled and gurgled merrily, nearly overrunning its banks. It was several meters away, peeking out of the rocky outcroppings that were common in the area. The river never froze, even in deep winter, due to its quick pace as it made its way to the sea. Due to this it was a popular spot for all manner of creatures to drink. Celegras perked up, his gaze sweeping all around them looking for trouble. Wolves were common enough, and this deep into winter they were hungry. He doubted they were desperate enough to attack two full-grown soquili, but he wanted to be watchful just in case.
"We should be nearing the place your plant grows. Hopefully the snows haven't affected it, or the unseasonal thaw." She'd have mentioned if those were factors, he was sure, but keeping up the small talk was nice. He didn't usually enjoy small talk, but the mare was pleasant and calming. She reminded him of Tethys and mentally made a note to introduce them. Thinking of his mate, he as-casually-as-possible asked "Do know know any remedies for blindness?" In many ways her disabilty had become part of her, something special that added to her beauty. Celegras wasn't even sure she'd WANT to be cured. Still, it was worth asking. What sort of mate would he be if he didn't explore of of their options? Still, a nagging part of himself wanted the answer to be no, so he could continue to be necessary to Tethys' life. Was he so insecure?
He pushed that thought aside to analyse later. "It was a slow, creeping blindness. It closed in around her astheyears progressed. Do you know of anything that might help?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 9:00 am
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She hadn't expected him to have the same mentality as she. Flidais knew of the tragedy that had hurt her kind, though she was too young to experience it herself. She didn't have the same negative connotations that her elders did. Her mother had certainly been scarred from the event and it was a very sensitive topic in her former herd. Flidais had come to learn that her elders were not so fond of the idea of nature spirits residing among them, especially after something so terrible had transpired.
The horned mare was appreciative of the change of topic, it never left a good taste in her mouth when heavy silences hung over her and her company. She never wished to stir up bad memories, but sometimes it was inevitable. At the mentioned river, Flidais "Yes... This winter was a harsh one, was it not?"
Her emerald orbs lazily scanned over the bubbling stream, a quiet hum filling the air. Flidais hoped the flowers she was seeking had survived the winter. She had never had the chance to properly study them through a year's worth of time, only briefly had she the chance to use them and then the scarlet mare had gone onward with her travelling. "We shall see if they did. I have never had the chance to learn their growing conditions or their survivability in harsh weather. If they are not intact, there are other things I can gather for my hobbies. Hopefully they managed to make it through the winter."
The mare couldn't help the soft smile at the honest question. She had heard of Celegras' mate, though they had never formally met. Flidais knew of the mare's blindness and she knew the inquiry no doubt came from a place of good intention from the stallion. What she did not know, of course, was whether her answer would please or displease him. "It depends. Some ailments with the eyes can be treated, others can not. Hers may be something that runs in the blood and that is something not even the most potent of remedies can fix. I can attempt to craft a few salves and elixirs that may act as a medicine, but I cannot make promises of a cure. I do not like to offer false hope."
"Ah, they should be here. Hopefully things will work out and this trip will bear great success." The mare smiled As they reached the place Flidais had vaguely remembered encountering the golden flowers, she carefully cleared the light layer of snow away from the ground, hoping that the flowers had survived the icy grasp of winter. There was great joy when she saw the still green blooms unharmed by the ice and snow. "They seem alright. Good, I can gather them by the root and plant them in the herd's territory. Gathering them come spring will be much easier." The tone to her voice was jovial as she carefully moved the earth away from the small plants. These would be a great resource for her salves and herbal concoctions.
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